Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices, also referred to as organic electroluminescent (EL) devices, may provide a number of advantages over other flat-panel display devices of earlier technology types. High brightness of light emission, relatively wide viewing angle, reduced device thickness, and reduced electrical power consumption are example characteristics that may be considered among the potential advantages of the OLED devices compared to, for example, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) using backlighting.
Applications of the OLED devices may include active-matrix image displays, passive-matrix image displays, and area-lighting devices such as, for example, selective desktop lighting. A common constraint in the field of display technology is the limitation imposed upon the amount of permissible instantaneous excitation that may be safely applied to individual devices in the array without causing long term harm to the picture element. OLEDs are organic light emitting diodes, and produce light when an electric current is driven through them. As current passes through the emissive materials of an OLED display, the life of the devices starts getting reduced. Specifically, the emissive materials may age proportionally to the current density passing through the materials.
The present disclosure appreciates that the technology for the production of displays by adapting LED devices is further impaired due to relatively shorter lifetimes of the light emitting devices. In comparison to conventional technologies such as LCD and Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), the OLEDs have yet to achieve a mean lifetime of 40,000 hours or more. Commercial viability of a product depends, among other things, on increased production volumes and mean lifetime.